4-Day Rwanda Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking
tour features
Your Rwanda: 4-Day Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking Safari
Track two of the Virungas’ most extraordinary primates on this Rwanda gorilla and golden monkey trekking safari. In just four days, you’ll discover Kigali on a Kigali city tour, spend a magical hour with a mountain gorilla family, and follow playful golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of Volcanoes National Park.
Your base in the mountains is Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, at the foot of Sabyinyo volcano and barely a kilometre from the park headquarters, with a final night at the Kigali Serena Hotel.
Duration
4 Days / 3 Nights
Start / End
Kigali
Treks
1 Gorilla + 1 Golden Monkey
Vehicle
Exclusive-use 4WD
Safari Highlights
🦍 Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, with a magical hour beside a gorilla family
🐒 Golden monkey trekking in the Virunga bamboo forests
🏹 Interactive visit to the award-winning ex-poachers’ village, with a replica of the King’s palace
💃 Evening performances by the Intore cultural dance troupe at the lodge
🏛 Kigali city tour, including the Kandt Museum, genocide memorial and craft centres
🍽 Farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Kigali
Your 4-Day Rwanda Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking Itinerary
Tap each day to see the details.
Day 1: Arrival – Kigali City Tour – Drive to the Virungas
🛏 Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Half Board)
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, our representative will meet you and transfer you into downtown Kigali for a city tour.
Founded in 1907 as a German settlement, Kigali became the capital at Rwanda’s independence in 1962, replacing the colonial seat of power in Butare. Today it’s a vibrant African city with wide boulevards, world-class hotels and restaurants, craft and curio shops, and a lively, cosmopolitan population.
Visit the Kandt Museum, tour old Kigali and the craft centres, and visit the genocide memorial, where you’ll learn about Rwanda’s history from the pre-colonial era to the 1994 genocide, as well as other genocides in the world. See the city’s new developments too: the recovery has been incredible, a true testament to humankind’s resilience.
After a short safari briefing over a snack at a local restaurant, drive north through the Rwandan countryside to Ruhengeri at the foot of the Virungas, arriving at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge for dinner.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park & Ex-Poachers’ Village
🛏 Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Full Board)
After an early breakfast, drive to Volcanoes National Park to be allocated a gorilla tracking group. At 07:00, your trackers give a briefing before you drive to the trailhead to begin an amazing adventure.
The trek starts in the cultivated foothills of the Virungas, with stirring views in all directions. Inside the park, paths carry fresh signs of the mountains’ elusive buffalo and elephant, and the rainforest comes alive with colourful bird calls and butterflies. Through gaps in the canopy, you’ll glimpse the magnificent Virunga peaks, among the highest in Africa.
Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia and giant lobelias, your experienced trackers, who have spent their entire lives in or close to this forest, soon bring you up close with the gorilla family.
Once you find the gorillas, you’ll spend a magical hour with them as they go about their daily life: feeding, playing, resting and raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback must truly be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth!
In the afternoon, visit the nearby ex-poachers’ village, an award-winning conservation initiative. Former poachers who renounced their old ways became conservation activists and, with their families, founded this village, complete with a replica of the King’s palace, where they now share Rwandan culture through eco-tourism. Learn traditional skills such as fire-making, archery, weaving, traditional medicine and architecture (including unique grass-thatched huts once used for the kings), and enjoy cultural dances. It’s interactive, educational and fun for all ages.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trekking – Return to Kigali
🛏 Overnight: Kigali Serena Hotel (Bed & Breakfast)
Another early start as you return to the park headquarters to be allocated a golden monkey tracking group. At 07:00, your trackers give a briefing before you drive to the trailhead.
The beautiful golden monkey has a golden body, cheeks and tail, with contrasting black limbs, crown and tail tip. They live in social groups of up to 30 and feed mainly on leaves and fruit. Restricted to the highland forests of the Virungas, especially near bamboo, they share their habitat with their “big brother”, the mountain gorilla, and face the same threats from snares and human encroachment.
Tracking usually takes 2 to 4 hours. Once you reach the habituated group, you’ll spend the permitted hour with them as adults frolic in plain view, feed on bamboo leaves and leap from perch to perch, while females carry their young, completely unbothered by onlookers.
Afterwards, trek back and return to the lodge for a well-deserved shower and lunch. Then drive back to Kigali and check in at the Kigali Serena Hotel. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at one of Kigali’s local restaurants.
Day 4: Departure
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
End of our services.
About Volcanoes National Park
In northwestern Rwanda, bordering Virunga National Park in DR Congo and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park covers 5 of the 8 Virunga volcanoes: Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. The Virungas, a branch of the Albertine Rift, are a chain of mostly dormant volcanoes along Rwanda’s northern border.
The slopes rise through montane forest, bamboo forest and Hagenia-Hypericum woodland to giant lobelias and grassland near the peaks. Besides mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, the park is home to black-fronted duiker, buffalo, spotted hyena and bushbuck. More than 170 bird species have been recorded, including at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virungas and Rwenzori.
Activities include gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking, volcano hikes and guided birdwatching.
Where You’ll Stay
🌋 Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
A 3-star bush lodge at the base of Sabyinyo volcano, barely a kilometre from the park headquarters, with panoramic views of the Virungas. Its 25 en-suite cottages, built in contemporary African design with local materials, come with a minibar, coffee machine and hairdryer, modern African prints and original artworks in recycled timber. The landscaped grounds burst with wild flowers, and in the evenings the Intore cultural dancers perform traditional Rwandan dances.
🏨 Kigali Serena Hotel
In central Kigali, 10 km from the international airport, with 148 air-conditioned rooms ranging from Standard to the Presidential Suite. Facilities include the elegant Milima Restaurant, a lounge bar with bar, lounge and terrace areas, a swimming pool, spa, gym, business centre, conference and meeting rooms, and Wi-Fi.
✅ What’s Included
✓ Accommodation at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge and Kigali Serena Hotel
✓ Meals as shown in the itinerary
✓ Exclusive use of a 4WD vehicle
✓ Mineral water in the vehicle
✓ Services of a professional guide
✓ Gorilla tracking permit ×1 (given separately)
✓ Golden monkey tracking permit ×1 (given separately)
✓ Park entrance fees
✓ Professional trackers on the treks
✓ Medical emergency evacuation cover
❌ What’s Not Included
✗ International airfares and departure taxes
✗ Entry visa fees
✗ Tips and gratuities
✗ Meals specified as under own arrangements
✗ Health and medical insurance
✗ Items of a personal nature such as drinks, cigars, laundry, telephone calls and porterage
✗ Any other item not indicated in the itinerary as included
ℹ️ Good to Know: Umuganda (Community Service Day)
Every last Saturday of the month, from 08:00 to 12:00, Rwanda observes Umuganda, a mandatory community service day. Most tourism sites, especially in Kigali, remain closed and transport is not allowed on the streets. The afternoon is free for personal plans. We regret any inconvenience caused.
Ready for your Rwanda gorilla and golden monkey trek?
Gorilla permits are limited, so get in touch early to check availability and secure your dates.
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